St. John’s Releases 2017-18 Schedule, Featuring Duke at MSG

The St. John’s men’s basketball team finalized its 31-game schedule for 2017-18 on Tuesday with the Big East’s public release of the conference lineup.

St. John’s will play a total of 16 home games this season at Carnesecca Arena and Madison Square Garden, with seven of those contests on weekend dates.

Big East play begins on Thursday, December 28 in Queens, as the Red Storm hosts Providence at Carnesecca Arena.

The Johnnies make the short trip to Seton Hall on December 31 for their second New Year’s Eve tilt at the Prudential Center in the last four years.

Three days later, St. John’s tips off with Creighton in Omaha for its first contest of 2018.

St. John’s begins a three-game homestand on January 6 against DePaul at Carnesecca Arena.

The Red Storm will play the final contests of the eight-day home stretch at The Garden.

Georgetown comes to town on Tuesday, January 9 in the first meeting between the original Big East rivals with Hall of Famers Chris Mullin and Patrick Ewing now the head coaches for their alma maters.

Reigning Big East and 2016 National champion Villanova comes in on Saturday, January 13 to conclude the homestand.

Three of the next four games are on the road for the Red Storm, starting in Cincinnati on January 16 versus Xavier, a team which reached the Elite Eight last season.

The next stop is Washington, DC on January 20 for a second meeting with the Hoyas in 11 days.

St. John’s briefly returns to Queens for a matchup with Creighton on Tuesday, January 23 before traveling to Indianapolis for a contest with Butler on January 27.

The Red Storm’s second meeting with Xavier is set for Tuesday, January 30 at Carnesecca Arena.

St. John’s steps then plays perhaps the most exciting game on their schedule as they have a showdown with Duke at The Garden on Saturday, February 3, and it will air on FOX.

The Johnnies travel to Philadelphia for a meeting with Villanova on Feb. 7 at Wells Fargo Center, and then have Marquette for two of the next three games. The pair of contests with the Golden Eagles are slated for February 10 in Queens and February 21 in Milwaukee. In between the Marquette games is a meeting with DePaul on February 14 at the new Wintrust Arena in Chicago.

St. John’s final game at Madison Square Garden during the regular season is set for February 24 against Seton Hall on FOX. Four days later, the Red Storm will host Butler for its finale in Queens.

A trip to Providence on March 3 for a meeting with the Friars at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center completes the conference schedule.

The 2018 Big East Tournament runs from March 7-10 at Madison Square Garden. The Big East Championship game will tipoff at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 10 on FOX.

The Red Storm’s competitive non-conference schedule features seven home games along with six neutral site games inside state-of-the-art venues in Los Angeles, Orlando, Phoenix and locally at Mohegan Sun.

St. John’s fans will have the opportunity to get their first look at the Johnnies on Oct. 31 during an exhibition game against American International College at Carnesecca Arena.

The season officially begins on November 10 when the Red Storm takes on New Orleans in Queens. St. John’s will also host Central Connecticut on November 14, Nebraska on November 16, and Molloy on November 20 at Carnesecca Arena.

The Red Storm then will take part in the AdvoCare Invitational in Orlando. The tournament tips off on November 23, as St. John’s meets Oregon State on day one of the event. The following day, the Red Storm will face either Missouri or Long Beach State, and then on November 26, the third game will be against a team from the opposite side of the bracket, which consists of West Virginia, Nebraska, UCF and Marist.

After returning to Queens for a December 2 meeting with Sacred Heart, St. John’s goes out west to face Grand Caynon University in Phoenix as part of The Valley of the Sun Shootout on December 5 and Arizona State in Los Angeles at Staples Center on December 8 for the Basketball Hall of Fame Classic.

St. John’s season debut at Madison Square Garden is set for Sunday, December 17 versus Iona in the MSG Holiday Festival. On December 20, the Red Storm will go up against Saint Joseph’s at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. for the Basketball Hall of Fame Showcase.

All of the Red Storm’s contests will again be televised as part of the league’s partnership with FOX Sports. 26 games will be national broadcasts, including at least two appearances for the Johnnies on FOX broadcast network.

In addition to all 90 Big East regular-season games being nationally televised, FOX Sports will carry the 36th BIG EAST Tournament at Madison Square Garden on FS1 leading up to the championship game that will air on FOX. Gus Johnson and Bill Raftery return for their fifth-straight year as the network’s lead announce team.